Tenuta San Giovanni Lucca – Borgo del Locumone

You know what hit me first about Tenuta San Giovanni? The silence. I mean, you’re technically still in Lucca, but Via della Chiesa VII feels like you’ve slipped into some parallel universe where car horns don’t exist and the biggest sound is gravel crunching under your feet. It’s one of those converted estates that actually feels authentic – not like someone just slapped “boutique” on a regular hotel and called it a day.

The whole borgo setup is honestly brilliant. Instead of cramming everyone into a typical hotel building, they’ve spread the rooms across these old stone houses that probably housed farm workers back in the day. My room had these thick walls that kept everything cool during the August heat (and trust me, Tuscan summers are no joke), plus windows that opened onto vineyards that stretch toward the city walls. You can actually walk to Lucca’s centro storico in about fifteen minutes if you know the path through the olive groves – the staff will point you toward this little shortcut that most tourists never find. Parking was refreshingly straightforward too, which anyone who’s tried to navigate Italian city centers will appreciate.

What really sets this place apart is how they’ve managed to keep that working estate feel while still being properly comfortable. The breakfast spreads include stuff from their own gardens, and I watched them picking tomatoes and herbs each morning around seven. The pool area gets gorgeous afternoon light, and it’s positioned so you’re looking out over the Lucchese hills rather than at other hotels. Honestly, the 9.2 rating makes sense – it’s not trying to be flashy or over-the-top luxurious, but everything just works. The Wi-Fi was solid (worked fine for video calls), the air conditioning didn’t sound like a jet engine, and the beds were that perfect firmness where you actually sleep well instead of tossing around all night. If you’re planning to explore beyond Lucca – maybe day trips to Cinque Terre or Pisa – this location gives you easy access to the autostrada without feeling like you’re staying at a highway rest stop. It’s the kind of place where you’ll probably end up extending your stay an extra night, which is exactly what happened to us.